Last week when Kevin and I were out of town, the hotel was decorated for Memorial Day. There was this huge flag that was at least three stories tall. I thought it would be perfect for my Memorial Day post.
There are several cities that claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Southern women were decorating military graves before the Civil War and the graves of Confederate Soldiers. The official holiday was declared to be observed on the last Monday of May in 1971. I looked up the meaning of "memorial" in the dictionary and the definition is as follows: "something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday; preserving the memory of a person or thing; commemorative" That pretty well sums up the purpose of Memorial Day. Originally it was set aside to honor the soldiers who had given their lives to secure our liberties and freedoms. Now we include anyone that has served in the military as well as a time to reflect and memorialize those in our own families that have passed from this life. I knew that poppy flowers were given out on Memorial Day, but never knew what the meaning was. In reading about the history of Memorial Day I found this poem by Moina Michael.
So this Memorial Day, say thanks to a Veteran you know and remember your loved ones who had an influence on your life. Happy Memorial Day.
Some information from this web page: http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html
There are several cities that claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Southern women were decorating military graves before the Civil War and the graves of Confederate Soldiers. The official holiday was declared to be observed on the last Monday of May in 1971. I looked up the meaning of "memorial" in the dictionary and the definition is as follows: "something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday; preserving the memory of a person or thing; commemorative" That pretty well sums up the purpose of Memorial Day. Originally it was set aside to honor the soldiers who had given their lives to secure our liberties and freedoms. Now we include anyone that has served in the military as well as a time to reflect and memorialize those in our own families that have passed from this life. I knew that poppy flowers were given out on Memorial Day, but never knew what the meaning was. In reading about the history of Memorial Day I found this poem by Moina Michael.
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
So this Memorial Day, take time to pause and say a prayer of thanks for the many soldiers past and present that have made many sacrifices for us. Earlier this week Kevin's dad sent me a Memorial Day email. Here are some of the thoughts from that email. "Thanksgiving is a day when we pause to give thanks for the things we have. Memorial Day is a day when we pause to give thanks to the people who fought for the things we have."
Another one was "You military heroes gave up all your tomorrows so I could have mine. Thank you."
And last but not least "It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion. It is
the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble. It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the VETERAN, not the politician, Who has given us the right to vote."
So this Memorial Day, say thanks to a Veteran you know and remember your loved ones who had an influence on your life. Happy Memorial Day.
1 comment:
great picture!
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